One of One Hundred
by lightingmoon
Summary: Space is beautiful and endless, it just goes on and on and on... Life is also beautiful. Its cruel. It ends, but not today.
1. Chapter 1

Space is beautiful and endless, it just goes on and on and on...

Life is also beautiful.

Its cruel.

It ends.

Today my life will end. My beautiful short life of only eighteen years. Space will go on, it will not notice my absence. For I am nothing in its great vastness. Nothing, but a child compared to its years. An infant still learning to crawl compared to thats not true, maybe someone will notice my absence. Someone also small, someone who cannot survive without me. Someone who deserves better than confinement just for existing.

My name is River, I am eighteen years old today. My whole life has been spent on the Arc, I am expected to attend parties and care about fashion and finding a suitable match, I did once until I found Sawyer. Now due to my own parents I will die and when Sawyer turns eighteen the same fate will fall upon him.

As I said life is cruel.

I should have been more careful, I knew his life depended upon me. Sawyer was seven when I found him, he was hiding in an old storage room that I found one night by mistake. A small child huddled in the corner clinging to a ratty piece of cloth I could only assume was a blanket once, he flinched when he saw me notice him. His face looked hollow, his hair was matted and dirty beyond recognition of color and I was wearing my best dress. I felt unclean in the heels my mother had lent me with my empty wine glass still clutched in my hand as my back rested against the door.

That's when my world shattered, when I saw for the first time the in justice of the Arc that my parents had kept me from. The world the council allowed to exist. My parents allowed existing. From that moment on I was his protector, I fed him, brought him clothes, sneak him water to wash with and books which he could learn from. He was mine and I was his, until the guard came. Now I sit in a locked room waiting for them to come for me, to send me to my death for breaking the law.

An eternity has passed before the doors open and my parents walk in with the Chancellor. They stare at me for a moment and then close the door and sit. "Do you know why you are here River?" My mother has tears in her eyes. My father stares at the floor refusing to look at me - we both know his life is in my hands. "I helped an unregistered child abandoned by his parents, I broke the law. I'm here to die." I smiled finally catching my fathers eye. "I did the right thing when no one else would" Jaha nods and then crosses his arms over his knees and leans forward.

"River I have known you your whole life, thats why I am here. The law is the law and I cannot change it for you." I nod trying not to cry. "But I can..." My fathers eyes shift away from me and I see the tears of relief in his eyes. "Change the form of your punishment. The Arc as you know can only support so many for so long. I'm sure you have over heard conversations not meant for you to hear, today a ship will be launched to Earth. 100 prisoners will go to Earth to determine if it is safe for the rest of us. If you want you can be one of those on the ship to Earth."

I couldn't believe my ears as I looked from face to face and then out of the window of my cell. I wanted to throw the offer back in his face, take my punishment of death like a martyr for the innocent. A stand out victim to make people question our laws. I wanted my parents to feel the pain of having their child ripped from their arms and cast out into death so they would know how others felt, while they sat on the council never feeling the pain they inflicted.

"Earth..." My voice sounded scratchy even to my own ears as emotion choked me.

 _Sawyer..._

Sawyer is young. He is a prisoner. A prisoner sent to earth. "Yes, I will go to Earth." that was how I ended up in a drop ship strapped to a chair hurtling into the ground and thats how I blacked out.

Life is cruel.

Life ends, but not today.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Sorry this took so long I started a second job and with the reenactments going on in town this week due to memorial day I was a lot busier then I expected to be. Should also point out that I dont own anything and that I'm not a very big fan of Clarke though after re watching some of the episodes decided that I am going to do a cosplay of Octavia from the end of season two for youma :) super excited a little ehhh about her hair as i have bright red little mermaid hair but it's going to be awesome :) also this follows both the books a little and the show and will probably be a longer fanfic. Reviews are great even negative ones help :)**_

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Today I breathe, I live and I hurt. Everywhere, I hurt everywhere.

I dont remember how long I was out, I remember leaving my cell and getting on the ship with my new bracelet in tow. i remember sitting down in silence trying to look for sawyer and not seeing him hearing someone shouting then the door closed and my heart skipped a few beats in panic. i felt the drop ship detach and then everything seemed OK, people started talking an idiot even decided to get out of his damn seat and then things got bumpy fast.

I remember waking up to noise. Arguing and someone crying. I shook my head a few times to clear it and then unbuckled my safety straps. I heard a whoosh of noise heard a girl scream something about being back and then lots of cheering before I could actually stand up. Then I tripped like an idiot. My head hit the seat in front of me and blood started to travel down my face. "Great just great" Whipping my arm across my forehead I wandered around to search the drop ship looking for Sawyer.

I couldn't find him, the only people in the drop ship were a few kids who must not have been buckled in because they laid on the ground with no pulse. The second level had no one, not even bodies. My hope of easily finding him was dashed, but there was always outside.

Everything was so bright and crisp and amazing. Grass. Real grass was under my feet! and clouds and trees and oh the air. My lungs craved it. I could stand there all day just breathing the air and feeling the sun on my face.

"Hey are you OK? Your bleeding." I looked around and saw a girl with dark hair staring at me, she pulled on her braid nervously and took a shy step forward. I reached up and ran my sleeve over my cut "Yeah I will be, have you seen a boy like this big with blonde hair? His name is Sawyer. Hes only nine." She shook her head no and it felt like my heart had dropped into my stomach. What if he wasn't one of the 100. What if my parents knew that and still sent me here with false hope?

"But I can help you look if you want..." Her shy whisper came with a small smile as she took a few steps closer. "Yeah, I would like that. Im River, what's your name?" She gave me a strange look and shook her head no. "Prisoner number 256" thats why she was shy. She was an unregistered. Her mother must have been captured shortly before her birth if she only had a prisoner number. Even Sawyer had been given a name before he was abandoned. "Sky" "what did you say?" I looked from her face to the sky above us. "Your name, its Sky. Your eyes are almost the same shade of blue. It fits you." A smile lit up her face as she looked up at the sky then back at me. I heard her whisper her new name before her hand found its way into mine. "Thanks River, lets go find Sawyer. Ok?"

We asked everyone we passed a few people just pointed others said no. I was starting to feel tired when I heard a fight break out and a familure voice shout "Let go of me, it's mine!" grabbing Sky's hand I rushed forward as quickly as I dared to and came upon a group of boys with Sawyer in the middle trying to pick up fallen items and shove them back into his pocket. "Sawyer!" Wess, a kid from my classes stood next to sawyer blocking him from two of the boys he had been fighting with. A third guy reached for sawyer from behind.

Scooping up a rock and throwing it as hard as i could i caught the kid in the shoulder "Hands off my brother!" The clearing fell silent as the guy grabbed at his own arm clearly more in shock then in pain. "What do you think you are doing?" I reached for the closest threat to my brother "He is nine years old, how dare you!" I shook the boy every nerve in my body vibrating in pure rage, the blood seeping from my skull fulling my anger even more.

"Any one who touches him will answer to me!" shoving the kid away I dont even wait to see him hit the ground I just turned and grabbed Sawyer to me. Smoothing his hair back I look at his small face and start crying not caring that everyone is watching our reunion. Two months he was hidden from me. Two months he probably thought me dead. God what monsters all our parents were.

"Your alive?" Sawyer says it as a question not a statement. I feel his small hands curl into my shirt, his small frame shaking. "How?" Wess asks. I wait a few moments hoping that people will lose interest but I should have known better "How? Your over 18 now." Wess asks again. this time I look at him letting my grip on Sawyer loosen. I look at them all, children abandoned by the arc and my heart breaks. I lose all of my anger and shake my head in defeat.

"Your father, he offered me a seat on the drop ship. The arc is dying what's one more criminal test subject sent to earth?" a few murmurs go through the crowd. Wess just nods and tells me to clean my cut while handing me the rest of Sawyers fallen objects. I should have been kinder when talking about his dad, after all it's not his fault. "Any one else hurt?" He points to a few kids sitting on the ground so I head that way, my two shadows silently following.

Medical is literally a blanket spread on the ground, a girl and boy sit on one side talking in hushed tones and a few kids are helping place a girl on the other side. Exausted I sit down Sawyer's hand tucked into mine on the left and Sky standing by my right. "Sit down Sky, it is OK I wont bite anymore" I offer a weak smile and watch her glance between me and Sawyer. "No it's OK I should leave. after all you found your brother." "No please, stay." I reach out for her hand and to pull her down. It doesn't take much effort making it obvious that she didn't want to leave anyways. "We make a good trio and I'm tired, I need - you both need- someone to keep an eye on you while I sleep. You can keep each other company."

When I wake I'm on a makeshift cot inside of a tent and its dark. Head wounds and sleep dont mix well I guess. Sawyer is tucked in next to me and Sky sits at my feet as if keeping guard over us. "Hey" She jumps and the boy sitting by the bed next to us fixes us with a glare while he smooths the blanket over the girl he had been sitting with on the blanket earlier Bellemy I think was his name.

"Your awake" Sky smiles and shifts around so that she's looking at me "I didn't want to leave until you woke up. You were asleep forever" She tries to hide a yawn, but I still see it even in the dim light coming from somewhere outside. "Leave? Why would you leave? We just found you." She looks surprised glancing between Sawyer and me. "But you found your brother, why would I stay?"

I notice Bellemy sit up straighter as if he is listening to our conversation. "Yes I found my brother thanks to you." I reach for her hand. "What's your name?" I ask, her face clouding with confusion. "Its Sky, remember? You named me Sky just earlier today." I nod slowly pretending to think. "Yes I did" I keep nodding. "Prisoner 256, you were just a baby when they classified you as a criminal. Do you know why I'm a criminal? Why Sawyer is?" She shakes her head no as I place my second hand over hers.

"His parents had a second child, Sawyer. They sent him away to keep him safe. I found him all alone. He wasn't safe. He was small and scared and had no one. Now he has me, I keep him safe." She just stares at Sawyer and out of the corner of my eye I see Bellemy stand up and start to move my way.

"I got to name him before he left. They told me not to, because he was leaving but I did anyways. Today I named you. I found you here, small and scared and so very alone. More alone then anyone else. I can keep you safe." It takes a moment for my words to register, but when they finally do her eyes fill with tears. I let go of her hand and open my arms just as she launches into them and starts to sob.

Bellemy stands over us now. I look up at him as I stroke Sky's hair. "Here" He picks up a blanket off of a small pile and hands it to me "Keep it down, you're going to wake up my sister." I blink at him feeling stupid with nothing to say as he walks away.

"Time to get some sleep." I push her hair out of her face and stand up. I pull down the blankets on my cot and motion for her to lay down next to Sawyer. "Ill watch over you while you sleep. Ill keep you safe." I watch her slowly move into my spot and tuck her in, checking Sawyer's blankets too. The little stinker is awake and smiling at me. I ruffle his hair then smooth Sky's down and away from her face while I hum a song I learned long ago in the arc's library.

Our little group has turned to three. My parents live on a dying arc alone with only the memory of their crimes to keep them company. Down on earth I have found freedom and a family all my own.

Today I breathe, I live and I hurt in my heart for us all.

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 _ **I'm debating using Bellemy and Octavia as main-ish characters, but I could also just do a whole new cast in my own little spin off.**_


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